A Single Wish
by Team Dragon Star
Summary: ONE-SHOT: His father once turned his back on the world, choosing to stay in the afterlife. Now can Videl stop Gohan from embracing the endless cold known as death?


**A/N: ***Oneshot* - By Mikey H. Beta- by Saiyajin-Love

**DISCLAIMER:**"Copyright Disclaimer under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."

****** = Flashback/ Dream

…

_*****__"I'm proud of you son" The hero of the universe, my father said to me as he placed his right hand on the eternal abyss that is death in the form of the monster Cell. With nothing else but a smile he said his goodbye, and in an instant he was gone, never to roam our beautiful earth again._

"_Father don't go!" _

…

_The memories of a boy, left by his father were still fresh in my mind as I stood before the seven legendary dragon balls. Each ball was graced with a certain number of stars on its surface. Alone these stones were useless but together their magical abilities could grant the user a wish, one pure wish. _

"_Go on Kiddo" Krillin gently said, as he pushed me towards the seven balls; beckoning me to say a wish to bring back my father._

_I glanced nervously back at him, looking for some sort of comfort, looking for a hand to lead me through the darkness. To my surprise I saw the whole gang, all gathered to see me bring back the one who had sacrificed his life for them. Their presence filled me with newfound confidence. Without any further hesitation, I turned around to call upon them mighty dragon balls._

"_Eternal dragon, by your name I summon you forth! Shenron!" And from the seven dragon balls a mighty dragon appeared._

_Just as I readied to bring my father back to life, a distant but well known voice exclaimed among us._

"_Wait!" _

"_Father!" I yelled, once again breaking down in tears as my eyes hysterically searched every single corner of the lookout. With my body feeling weak and the scars of battle still paralyzing my power I fell to the ground, unable to locate the source of my father's voice._

_Like me, the rest of the Z fighters were also searching desperately for the sudden source of the well-known voice but before I could call to my father, Krillin happily shouted._

"_Goku! Is that you?" _

_And with his hearty laugh echoing around us he replied, "Yes"_

_With that one word coming from the lips of my father, the sudden urge to bring him back overshadowed my judgment; I wanted to be held in his arms once again! However right before I could speak my wish I was disrupted my father's voice once again, and the atmosphere drastically shifted._

"_Wait, my son… I don't want you to revive me, for the sake of the earth and its people, it's probably better if I stay dead, I know you'll take great care of your mother… I love you son… And everyone else, see you later, hopefully not too son though!" The voice of my father said with him fading into eternity._

"_Father! Wait!" I called, grabbing into thin air, hoping that he would hold me just one last time. Both fear and anger was painted on my face as reality kicked in, he was gone forever. And with that in mind, pure power erupted from me as the monster inside of me broke loose of the bonds that had tied it up for so many years._

"_He is gone Gohan…" Piccolo painfully expressed as he approached me. With respect and sadness in his eyes he took me in his arms, embracing me like a father would._

_Confused and heartbroken I broke of the hug, still with the raw energy floating around me and approached the dragon but before I could speak, the dragon's eyes began sparkling, and within a blink of an eye a small pendant was in my possession._

"_Mortal… Because of the bravery and strength that have been shown today by both you and your father and because you will spend the rest of your life without the one being you love the most, I give you this, a pendant that will forever hold the ability to revive a beloved. Use this with caution young one, as it is a gift no one before you have been given. Now let me return to my eternal slumber." The dragon Shenron finished, before retreating to the dragon balls, which ascended into the air and spread out to all the corners of the world once again.__*** **_

With my body trembling from top to toe I jumped out of my bed, holding the pendant which Shenron gave me, firmly in my right hand.

"Gohan sweety, are you okey?" The love of my life, Videl Satan, nervously asked.

Without giving her an answer, I released my grip on the pendant to stare down at it. The ruby it held had faded over the years, and just as my life energy, it seemed that it would soon all be gone and forgotten. And so I sometimes felt the same way as this dusty old pendant, as the force that once ran through my body had almost complete disappeared as the years had taken their toll in me leaving only an empty shell of what once was.

I looked at my beloved, and even in these confusing times, joy filled my heart and so the despair was washed away underneath the sea of love that filled my heart.

Her eyes, which could bring any force in the universe to its knees, were fixated upon me. But instead of the usual deathly force that accompanied her obsidian orbs, I was given the door to her soul; which was closed to all but me. Her deepest secrets were at my fingertips, her weaknesses so easy to grasp. All that she was and ever had been was clear to me; this was why my love for her would never fade away.

"Daddy are you okay?" My daughter Pan cried out as she entered the room.

The apples don't fall far from the tree and so of course my daughter resembled my wife so much that I every single day saw more and more of Videl in my little Pan. With her long hair that imaged Videl's perfectly, just like first time we met and of course her eyes which sparkled with the intensity of a thousand suns.

"I'm fine" I reassured my loved ones, with a great pain growing in the left side of my chest. The raw energy that was left inside of me fought a brave battle against what seemed to be a direct attack to my soul itself.

…

_*****__"Oh and by the way, my name is Gohan" A teen version of me timidly added as I walked up the stairs to find a seat. Little did I know that the choice of seat would affect the rest of my life in a way no other decision had. _

"_There's a free seat here pretty boy" A young but elegant blond proclaimed, pointing to the empty seat beside her. _

_A small sigh could be heard from the black haired girl at her side. I glanced over the two. The blond and the black seemed so different but at the same time so much alike. They complimented each other in ways that only the best of friends could. _

"_Cheer up tiger, and welcome to OSH" The blond continued as she saw that I was a bit uneasy with the sudden attention._

"_Thank you" I responded as I sat down on the empty seat, with the black haired girl following my every single move. _

"_What's with her?" I whispered to the blond._

"_It's just how Videl is I guess, oh and I'm Eresa by the way!" She joyfully said as she embraced me with both her arms. _

"_Hi Videl" I nervously said right as Eresa broke of the highly inappropriate hug. In the deeps of my heart I screamed for more than a single hello in return from the beautiful black but this was yet to be discovered by even myself. _

"_Hmph" Videl returned, facing her head the other way in defiance. __*** **_

…

Those times seemed so far away, the memories of distant battles and young relationships were all fading with age. But where was I going? Who would I sacrifice my life for in the bitter end? The man in the small bathroom mirror was not who he once were, he could no longer protect the ones he loved from the dangers of the universe.

As I lifted my shirt the big yellow spot where the sickness had hit came into view. What was left of life in that area of my body bravely struggled to keep itself intact, to keep my heart intact; which had long been broken in more than one way by the echoes of my father's last words that still rang clearly in my mind.

…

_*****__"But Videl! What do you mean!" I yelled, like I had never yelled before. _

_The tears were running down her face just like the rain which seemed to continue in endless waves. She was trembling, and could barely stand but why couldn't I go help her up? Had our bond really been broken? _

"_I just… I just need some time okay?" She cried out, clearly hoping for me to accept her wish, still with the pouring rain, pounding on her head like bricks. _

_The lights of the street were flickering in the wake of the power that erupted from my bare skin. My eyes slowly turned to the clearest of blues and my hair turned blond by the pure power coming from inside of me. _

"_I… I need you Videl!" The rare power that my body suddenly had to endure changed my voice, making it unrecognizable._

_She took a step away, in fear as she saw what I could become. And then she ran, she ran with all the strength that her body could allow and even though I could have easily caught her I didn't; the love of my life were gone__*****_

…

"Sweety what are you doing in there?" The gentle voice of Videl asked from outside the small bathroom door.

_They don't know… And they never will… - _I thought to myself as I covered the yellow area of my chest.

"I'll be with you in a second Angel" I called, treasuring every single word I had left with my beloved Videl.

…

_*****__"Gohan did you miss me?" Videl asked, while pulling herself closer into my naked body._

"_I missed you like the moon misses the sun and I'll never let you go again…" I answered, gently kissing her forehead, as dreams of family and marriage entered my mind. _

"_Gohan?" _

"_Yea Videl?" _

"_I love you" Videl said, blushing wildly. _

_I took her hand in mine and for the first time, the door to her soul opened up to me._

"_I love you too Videl" __*** **_

…

As pain overwhelmed my body, all the joy and happiness of the past was washed away, leaving only me in my box of sorrow, and as I fell to the ground, so did the magic pendant from Shenron. The whole universe flew before my eyes, and suddenly…. Complete darkness took in, but in the horizon a small stray of light seemed to be present.

While barely standing I caught myself questioning whether or not I should enter the light and return to the world of my beloved.

_Do I even want to return? …_


End file.
